Tech-Savvy Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping

As I’ve admitted on this blog before, while I love my smart phone, I don’t always put it to good use. I have about three apps, two of which are solitaire and the other is often left untouched. But this latest app I heard about might just deserve top ticketing on my phone – a gluten-free grocery app!

Two sisters in Canada are working to develop an app that will help Celiac’s around the world. The team started their product development after one woman’s 13 year old son was diagnosed with both diabetes and Celiac disease. Overwhelmed by the grocery store and list of “safe” vs. “unsafe” food, the women decided to take action to help others.

The app would allow users to scan a list of ingredients on any given packaged food item to determine whether or not it was safe for gluten-free eating. The app would be particularly useful to shoppers who want to avoid the over-hyped “gluten-free” labels that more and more companies are using as a means to increase advertising revenue and hike up pricing.

Though I think the app is a great idea, I am still wary about cross contamination risks. Those “gluten-free” labels are there to ensure that there is absolutely no risk of gluten sneaking in the product. Unfortunately I’ve found out the hard way that even if an ingredient list appears gluten-free, that’s not always the case.

The women are still developing the app, which could do a lot to help new gluten-free eaters explore the world of food beyond gluten-free specialty items. The app is set to be released in May. For more information, check out their website, http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/glutenguru-app?c=home to support their efforts!